Trump Promises to Rebuild AmericaAnd we're pretty sure we know how he plans to do it. All ya gotta do is see how he's done it before.Here's a sampling of his work.

It's interesting how some people are creatures of habit and do the same thing over and over. After doing some concentrated research on Trump’s business dealings, one of the things that we found - repeatedly - is an actual modus operandi. In Donald's case, he has a habit of coming in "under budget and ahead of schedule." Does that mean he's a savvy businessman? Like checking a carfax, we took a look under the hood, and report here some of the historyof Donald's driving record through America's business lanes. (Note: sources are linked in each individual story posted to the right)

Like Ants Under Donald's Foot

Of course he comes in ahead of schedule. He hires small businesses, self-sufficient artisans, and independent contractors with stellar reputations. Only the best, the most classiest, the most amazing people work on Trump properties. He doesn't hire national companies. He doesn't hire national chains. When there is a job to be done, he farms out the work to small businesses, one after the other. Dealing with the little guy makes it easier to apply muscle when necessary.

Under Budget and Ahead of Schedule

When we researched the history of Trump's prowess as a builder - each and every time - he did the same thing. When the bill came due for the work, he refused to pay. New invoices coming into Trump Tower for payment sit in a side bin, until a squeaky wheel asks for some grease. When the bill for the work first comes due, 90 days will go by with no payment. After 90 days, when most businesses find the delay in payment to be egregious and call to complain, he says "come on into my office and we'll talk about it."

Sage's Tower

Every time one of these small business owners wants to simply get paid for work already done, they are summoned to travel to The Donald's offices in Trump Tower. With hat-in-hand, they arrive, walk past the golden relics Trump has accumulated, step into his gilded elevator, and ride all the way up to his headquarters, the same headquarters out of which he now runs his Presidential campaign.

When they are finally ushered in, given a glass of water, and asked what they want, these small business owners - those who have built what they have with their bare hands in such a fine way as to come to the attention of Herr Trump - are forced to repeat, "Please sir, can we get paid now?" We've posted separate pages for each of the stories we have a complete picture of so far. They include video documentary footage and links to all sources.

I Think I've Spent Enough on This Project Already

Donald says the same phrase every time. We hear it from people in Scotland, we hear it from people in Toronto, and we hear it all over the United States. He says “I think I've spent enough on this project already.” Then he offers a fraction of what he owes the person as payment in full … take it or leave it. He makes them an offer, and he suggests they are better off not refusing. When they say 'yes' to taking a third less - or more - he's coming in under budget. Otherwise, they have to sue, and their lawyer fees typically cost more than they could possibly recoup. Simply put, as a direct result of this kind of devious and calculated behavior on the part of Trump many smaller businesses have been put out of business.

Mr. Trump’s attorney said that if I were to sue the Trump organization, I would probably get that money, but he made very clear to me that it was his job to make sure that it took me so long and so much money that I was probably wise to accept this very meager sum of money. … It almost put me out of business.

As for "ahead of schedule," one doesn’t have to be Fellini to posit that these smaller businesses start out happy to cater to a large entity like Trump. Without knowing much more about the man than the label itself, the logical thinking is a Trump job is an open door for more business. Work is done meticulously, with care, and quickly. The reputations of these small businesses precedes them. In many cases, decades of seven-day weeks and dedicated hard work have gone into the building of these small companies that Trump preys on. Little do they know that Trump’s business is based on monkey business, and they’re about to get “the business.” He can outlawyer these smaller entities, and he knows it going in, while they don’t.

It's a Trap

According to a 2015 Reuters report, renegotiating fees with subcontractors at the end of a job is not standard practice for a developer. Donald Gregory, general counsel for the American Subcontractors Association, a Washington-based trade group that represents individual building contractors says, "Sure, some developers have made themselves very wealthy in this country by squeezing 5 or 10% out of folks, but it's not the norm." In The Donald’s case, the discounted pay out of salary seems to have been much more like 10 to 15% below what was originally agreed upon, with many getting paid only 30%-70% of the original contracted fee, if they are paid at all.

Reuters only reviewed 7 of the bigger lawsuits filed in open court against Trump and they found that “six ended favorably for Donald," adding, "of the seven plaintiffs, two people who shared their stories did not want their names to be used. Two others did not agree to share any information beyond what was in the public record.” Just like with Trump's tax returns, what we can find out publicly is damning enough.

Fear of Prosecution

We found lots of stories where people were more than willing to talk. Hundreds of stories of people coming forth with testimony on the record. But we also found stories where people were afraid to give their names along with the details. Which begs the question of why none of those people wanted their names to be used. Were they at any time intimidated or threatened? It is certainly a valid question.

Where There's Smoke He's Lit a Bunch of Fires

As we mentioned, Reuters looked at 7 cases that were brought against Trump in detail. Turns out that really wasn't digging very deep, and perhaps that's what Trump is counting on from all of us. The 7 cases Reuters reviewed were among the over 4050 individual cases that USA Today found with "a large number of those involving middle class Americans.” Researchers everywhere are sifting through the rubble.

We [The USA Network] found at least 60 lawsuits, along with hundreds of liens, judgments, and other government filings, all of which document people who have accused Trump and his businesses of failing to pay them for their work. Among them: a dishwasher in Florida, a glass company in New Jersey, a carpet company, a plumber, painters, forty-eight waiters, dozens of bartenders and other hourly workers at his resorts and clubs coast to coast. In Atlantic City alone, at least 253 subcontractors weren’t paid in full or on time, including workers who installed walls, chandeliers and plumbing.

Real estate brokers who sold his properties have sued or are suing him and, ironically, also several law firms that once represented him in these lawsuits against the complaints are also suing Donald J. Trump for not paying his bills.

In addition, Trump’s companies have been cited for 24 violations [since 2005] of the Fair Labor Standards Act for failing to pay overtime or minimum wage. That's according to U.S. Department of Labor data which includes information on 21 citations against the defunct Trump Plaza in Atlantic City and three against the also out-of-business Trump Mortgage LLC in New York.

So let’s think about that for a moment. He made a dishwasher wrangle to get their pay? The deeper we look, the more it becomes obvious that Trump likes to cheat the little people. In fact, he seems to choose them to do business with because they are an easy target. We are guessing that would make them “suckers” or "losers" in Trump’s view.

We've given you as much information as we can here in an effort to help make the most informed decision possible when entering your polling place or filling out an absentee ballot this fall. Now it's up to the American people to decide in November if they think Trump's background as a developer and businessman - the only credit he has to his name - is an honorable one.

We think his misuse of hard-working people and small businesses is enough to just say 'no.' We think his shady business practices also allow him to underbid other developers who actually pay their workers, so the poison spreads. It’s a win-win for The Donald, but it seems that people who do business with him are typically on the losing end.

NOTE: Creating jobs isn’t hard. We could create 10,000 jobs ourselves if we didn’t have to pay anyone. If you like this page and find it useful, please share. Many potential voters think he's just the guy from The Apprentice.

We are adding more info on more Trump properties as we complete our research.

So many artisans and small businesses were brought on board to bring together this casino, this masterpiece, what Trump refers to as the Eighth Wonder Of The World. What happened after they did the work, well that's an interesting story.

Trump's International Golf Club ~ nestled in the rolling hills of Puerto Rico proper ~ was hardly a no-name course. Taking up a dozen mile stretch of the 100 mile wide island, this property played host to the 2008 Puerto Rico Open, an official PGA Tour event. Stereotypicaly, despite 'ol Donny telling Fortune Magazine that he has “the very best” golf courses in the world, here we have yet another Trump property that filed for bankruptcy. As Bloomberg reports...(more)

Like many things with Trump's name on it, Donald Trump doesn’t own the Toronto tower in Canada. Trump Tower Toronto belongs to Talon Developments who licensed the Trump brand for the skyscraper and hired a Trump-owned company to run the property. The Trump Organization was only responsible for managing the place. We say "was" because - as of May, 2016 - Talon’s clients are “no longer interested in the Trump brand.” They want nothing to do with Trump at all. Why? Because they feel Trump himself has damaged his name beyond repair. (more...)

In this article, we focus on Trump's $200 million project - transforming D.C.'s Old Post Office building — a taxpayer-owned landmark just four blocks from the White House — into a luxury destination called Trump International Hotel DC.

This site runs on journalistic integrity, but we could use some cash too. If you would like to donate to our pizza fund, we'll be sure to use the money wisely. Special Thanks to Edward Savio, Andrea Kinnaman, Cles Saunders, Page Chandler, MeanProgressive,